MY HOMBRE...OMBRÉ

So as you know after months of debate and lusting after the hair of Rachel Bilson, Alexa Chung, Drew Barrymore etc etc I took the plunge and went ombre!

I considered doing a tutorial post but to be honest, I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out so didn't want to jinx myself before I'd even started. I didn't expect to spend sooooooooooo long acheiving my look but I'm pretty happy with the results considering I did the whole thing myself...yes, me, myself and I.

For those of you interested here's my mini step-by-step guide of how I acheived the look:

1. I started off with my natural hair colour- I haven't dyed my hair in about 2 or 3 years so it was completely natural (greys and all!) and in very good condition.

2. (Day 1) I started off with a light brown colour to test the water. I used Clairol's new Nice'N Easy colour blend foam in 6 (Light Brown).
This step was pointless as the difference in colour was too subtle. If you're going for a subtle look then try this out.

*To apply the colour: 
- I started by tying my fringe/bangs in to a mini bun so I didn't get any dye on it.


- Next I parted my hair in the middle all the way down the back so I ended up with a piggy tail on each side. 


- Next I applied the colour to the bottom 3 or 4 inches of hair and left for around 5-10 minutes to let the colour take more effect on the ends.


- Then I applied more dye further up and more to the ends.


- I kept repeating the above step till I got to about the top of my ears.


-I then added a few streaks (about 3 chunky streaks per side) randomly with the highest point being an inch or so above the top of my ears.


- I left the colour to develop until I could notice a difference in colour (first time round I was over cautious) which was around 20-25 mins.


- I washed the hair dye out and applied the conditioner enclosed, rinsed after 5 minutes and let my hair dry naturally.


3. (Day 2): I repeated exactly the same steps above (to apply colour) but this time used Nice'N Easy permanent hair colour in SB1 (Natural Light Summer Blonde). This time I was a little extra cautious over the time I left it as the colour got a lot lighter this time. The chicken in me took it off after about 15 mins. The result was not as light as I would have liked due to washing it out prematurely.

4. (Day 3) Again I repeated the above steps but this time used Garnier Nutrisse Blonde pre-lightener. This is where the magic happened but it left my hair completely fried! This is when I started thinking I'd made a huge mistake so quickly went out and bought intensive conditioners! The colour at this stage was very orange and not particularly nice. I prefer a more ash colour in my hair so I bought MORE dye.

5. (Day 4) Annnnnd again, I repeated the above steps, this time using Belle Color 9.1 (Light Ash Blonde). I used the conditioner enclosed and a hefty dollop of Tresemme Colour Revitalise Treatment Masque. This is the last dye I put on my hair and thank God my hair was saved. After rinsing the conditioner, it no longer felt like hay.

6. (Day 5) I was still slightly unhappy with the brassiness in the colour so bought some John Frieda Sheer Blonde Colour Renew Shampoo and hair mousse. This stuff is ace. It's already began to get rid of the brassiness after 2 washes! I now follow every wash with the Tresemme masque and leave it in 5-10mins.

(Products used)

So there you have it. I'm waiting on some toner I bought on Ebay to get rid of more of the orange tones so I'll wait and see how it changes the colour. I'm quite happy with the results but think the top of my hair could be a bit darker. Hmmmm.....

OOTD

Please excuse the strange expression on my face! Here's what I wore on my way out to take the plunge and buy the hair colourant to do the Ombre effect on my hair. It's something I've been contemplating for a couple of months but I knew it was something I would have to do myself as I'm not prepared to pay god-only-knows how much at the salon. The process started on Tuesday evening. I prepped/tested the ombré effect with a light brown hair colourant. It didn't do much but made the gradient slightly lighter. I took a risk and bought the lightest ash blonde shade I could find this evening and I used half the mixture to lighten up a bit more. Again it's a little more lighter than my last attempt. I'm going to put the other half of the mixture on today and see how it goes- maybe even leave it on slightly longer. I really do not want to end up with orange tips so I'm being very cautious. It's also the first time I have dyed my hair in about 3 years so it feels quite sad saying au revoir to my own natural hair colour! Hopefully I will be able to debut an awesome DIY job in the next few days- fingers crossed!!

Denim Jeggings: Tu @ Sainsburys (UK Size 22)

Oatmeal Camisole: Primark (UK Size 18)

Oatmeal and Navy Breton Striped Top: New Look (UK Size 22)

Mac/Trench: Next (UK Size 22)

Leather Belt: Dorothy Perkins (UK Size XL)

Laceless Brogues: New Look (UK Size 9)

Tan Satchel: ASOS

Scissors Necklace: Evans

OOTD

Here's another super casual OOTD I took at my sisters place. This is typically the kind of thing I would usually wear. I try to make more of an effort nowadays. I would love for pyjamas to become the 'thing' to wear, kind of like how skinny jeans have been in fashion for ages, as well as leggings so I could be super comfortable all day every day. Maybe I should do POTN (Pyjamas Of The Night) posts also? I have some cool PJs!

Grey Rabbit Tee: ASOS (UK Size 18)

Peg Leg Jeans: ASOS (UK Size 22)

Blue Wrap Cardigan: ASOS (UK Size 18)

Trainers/Sneakers: Nike (Mid Blazer) (UK Size 8.5)

Black Leather Bag: ASOS

Hmmmm, I do wear a lot of ASOS. I need to work for them. I wonder how much discount they get??? That would be my idea of heaven.

As promised, I changed bags and wore my hair down. I really don't like how it looks at the moment. It's naturally wavy and as I'm trying to grow it out I don't want to straighten it. My theory is, if I straighten it, it will somehow damage my hair and will not grow as fast. I used to have beautiful long hair. What possessed me to chop it off one day!? I think I must've been channelling Britney Spears. Laughing aside, I seriously, get urges to reinvent my 'look' at least once a month. 

OOTD

Here's this weekends Outfit Of The Day: 

Grey Cardigan: H&M (UK Size XL)

Camel/Reddish Brown tank: Dorothy Pekins (UK Size 20)

Denim Mini Skirt: South (Very) (UK Size 22)

Black Stirrup Leggings: No Boundaries (Wallmart) (US Size XL)

Tan Ankle Boots: Evans (UK Size 8)

Yellow Leather Satchel: ASOS

Theres something about this outfit I really like. I think it's probably the camel/brown colour tank I'm wearing against the denim. It also felt awesome rocking a denim mini skirt (even if it did feel like I was getting funny looks). I think it's a great casual weekend outfit. I keep meaning to change bags (don't you just hate bag changes!?) as my sister bought me a 'bagmate' for Christmas which basically keeps the contents of your bag organised so you can just lift the contents of your bag out from one into another in one go. I promise it will be changed for my next OOTD!

I also promise to sort my hair out! I have issues with my hair at the moment. Too many DIY cuts have gone wrong in the past so I had my hair cut in to an asymmetric bob last year and now it's growing out it looks a bit funky! Oh and then I cut my own fringe/bangs which went completely wrong and I ended up looking like a child that wouldn't sit still for the hairdresser! So I'm growing that out too but it's got to a point where it either needs a trim or I need to pin it back and grow it out. In the next few weeks I will begin looking like cousin It.

Hi there! My name is Mel and I'm in the process of growing out my DIY hair cut!

Thoughts on my hair issue would be much appreciated. To bang or not to bang? That is the question!

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